Puppetmasters: The Political Use of Terrorism in Italy (Puppet Masters) - Hardcover

Willan, Philip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0094705909 ISBN 13: 9780094705906

Publisher: Constable, 1991

Synopsis

The CIA has been accused of a massive intelligence failure in the run-up to the 9/11 attacks -- the result, it is said, of a moralistic and bureaucratic approach to information-gathering. But the CIA's spies had few qualms when it came to cultivating terrorist organisations and interfering in the internal politics of Cold War Italy. Puppetmasters reveals how US intelligence services exploited the P2 masonic lodge to prop up friendly Christian Democrat-dominated governments and counter the growing political influence of the Italian Communist Party. It was a ruthless strategy involving coup plots, right wing terrorist bombings and the manipulation of the Red Brigades. And it gave Italy one of the bloodiest and most protracted periods of terrorist violence ever seen in a modern, industrialised society.

About this title

Synopsis

In the two decades since 1969, Italy has suffered one of the most bloody and protracted periods of terrorist violence ever seen in a modern industrialized society. The first phase, which lasted until 1974, was characterized mainly by right-wing terrorism and, in particular, by indiscriminate bombings against the public. It is clear that many right-wing terrorists were manipulated and controlled by the Italian secret services, who frequently intervened to confuse judicial investigators and to protect terrorist suspects from arrest. "Puppetmasters" reveals how this this strategy was the result of secret NATO accords and was sanctioned at the highest levels of the Atlantic Alliance. The book shows the crucial role played by the Hyperion Language School in Paris in the manipulation of the Red Brigades and the role of the CIA in arming the revolutionary groups. But the spotlight falls on Licio Gelli, the head of the now outlawed P2 masonic lodge, who has been convicted of financing fascist terrorists.

Gelli has publicly referred to himself as a "puppetmaster" but it can now be revealed that the strings which controlled the P2 boss stretched right up to the highest reaches of political power in the United States of America.

About the Author

Philip Willan is a British author and freelance journalist who has lived in Rome for more than 20 years. He helped research David Yallop's best-selling book "In God's Name", on the alleged murder of Pope John Paul I. He currently writes for a number of newspapers including The Guardian and The Observer.

Edition details

• Publisher: Constable
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0094705909
• ISBN 13: 9780094705906
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 375